Mechanical musical instrument.



No. 744,990; v PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903. P. WUEST, JR.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

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No. 744,990. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903. P. WUEST, JR. MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2'7, 1901.

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APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1901.

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No. 744,990. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

P. WUEST, JR.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1901.

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No. 744,990. PATENTED NOV. 24, 1903. P. WUEST, JR. MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1901.

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' UNITED STATES Patented November 24, 1908.

PATENT @FFICE.

PHILIP WUES'I, JR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO I C. J. HEPPE & SON, A FIRM.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,990, dated November 24, 1903. Application filed September 27, 1901. Serial No 76,815. (No model.)

To @513 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP VVUEST, .Ir., of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments,whereof the followingis a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates particularly to that class of instruments known as piano players. Such an instrument comprises a series of finger-levers arranged to impinge upon the digitals ofapianoorsimilarinstrument,which levers are actuated in any predetermined sequence by means of independent pneumatic mechanisms controlled by a Web of perforated paper which is progressed with respect to a pneumatic tracker-bar provided with a series of apertures corresponding with the series of finger-levers.

It is the object of my invention to provide means to operate the pedals of a piano or similar instrument, particularly the loud pedal, in proper accord with the music being played and without the interposition of the operator. However, as hereinafter described, my invention is so arranged as to be manually controlled by the operator, if desired.

My invention comprises the combination, with a series of levers operatively related to the sounding devices of a piano or similar instrument, of a pneumatic tracker-bar, mechanism arranged to operate the respective levers in any sequence predetermined by perforations in a web of paper progressed with respect to said tracker-bar, a member adapted to engage the pedal of said instrument, and means operatively connecting said member with a selected lever of said series.

My invention comprehends the employment of pneumatic devices to effect the operation aforesaid and the various novel features of construction and arrangement hereinafter more definitely specified and claimed.

The form of my invention hereinafter described is designed to operate only the loud pedal of a piano, it being the fact that such a pedal should onlybe operated during the time that a series of digitals are depressed whose corresponding tones are in harmony with one another or form what is termed a chord.

I take advantage of the fact that such a chord usuallycom prises one of a limited number of bass tones of a piano byarranging a movable member, conveniently a lever, so as to be common to and operated by any one of the fingerlevers identified with said bass tones and operatively connect said movable member with the loud pedal of the piano, so that when any one of the finger-levers to which said movable member is common is depressed the loud pedal is depressed simultaneously therewith.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is an end elevation of a musical instrument comprising a convenient embodiment of my invention. Fig. II is a front elevation of said instrument. Fig. III is an enlarged end elevation of the upper part of the instrument with the casing removed. Fig. IV is a fragmentary front elevation corresponding with Fig. III. Fig. V is a sectional View of the pneumatic motor which operates the pedal. Fig. VI is a front elevation of the valve-lever. Fig. VII is a plan view of the pneumatic slidevalve. Fig. VIII is a sectional view of said s1ide-valve, taken on the line VIII VIII in Fig. VII. Fig. IX is a sectional view of said slide-valve, taken on the line IX IX in Fig. VII. Fig. X is a sectional view of said slide- Valvo, taken on the line X X in VII. Fig. XI is a front elevation of the oscillatory pneumatis valve, which is operated by the lever shown in Fig. VI. Fig. XII is a sectional view of said oscillatory valve, taken on the line XII XII in Fig. XI. Fig. XIII is a sectional view of said oscillatory valve, taken on the line XIII XIII in Fig. XII.

Referring to said figures, 1 is the casing of the instrument, in which is mounted the series of finger-levers 2, arranged to impinge upon the digitals 3 of a piano 4. or similar instrument. Said finger-levers 2 are operated by independent pneumatic mechanisms, which are located within the casing 1, below the table 5 thereof, said operation being controlled by a web 8 of perforated paper initially wound upon the roller 9 and by the operation of the instrument unwound from said roller and wound upon the roller 10. Said web being thus progressed with respect to the pneumatic tracker-bar 12 opens and closes the apploying the lever 36.

ertures 18, arranged in a series corresponding with the series of finger-levers 2, and thus effects the operation of said levers 2 in any sequence predetermined by the arrangement of the perforations in said web 8.

The loud pedal 16 of the piano 4 may be depressed by the adjustable arm 17 of the plunger 19, which is arranged to bevertically reciprocated in the bearing 20, fixed to the back of the casing 1. The upper extremity of said plunger 19 is pivoted at 22 to the lever-arm 23 of the rock-shaft 25, whose other lever-arm 26 is connected by the link 28 with the lever 29, which is mounted to oscillate upon the fulcrum 30, fixed in the casing l. Said lever 29 is provided with two upwardlyextending arms 31 32. The arm 31 is connected by the link 34 with the lever 36, which being pivoted at its lower extremity is conveniently flattened at its upper extremity, as indicated in Fig. IV, to be readily fingered by the operator, who may thereby at will depress the loud pedal 16. The other arm, 32, of said lever 29 is connected with an independent device by which it may be operated to depress the loud pedal 16 automatically, as follows: Said arm 32 is connected by the link 38 with the lever 39 of the pneumatic-motor bellows 40, which latter by collapsing shifts the lever 29, and thereby depresses said loud pedal 16. The operation of said bellows 40 is controlled by the pneumatic diaphragm 41, which is mounted in the primary valve-box 42 and provided with the vent-valve 4t and the exhaust-Valve 45, coupled by the rod 46. The valve 44 registers with the ventport 47, and the valve 45 registers with the exhaust-port 48. Said valves normally occupy the position shown in Fig. V, wherein the bellows 40 is open to the atmosphere and may be rocked idly back and forth when the loud pedal 16 is manually depressed by the operator em- Said box 42 is in constant communication with the main exhaustbellows of the instrument through the conduit 50, and the arrangement is such that when the conduit 51 beneath the diaphragm 4:1 is closed said diaphragm is depressed and the valves maintained in the position shown by the external atmosphere opposed to the partial vacuum within said box 12. When, however, the conduit 51 is opened to the atmosphere, the difference in area between the exhaust-conduit and the by-pass duct 52 is such that the diaphragm 41 is instantly uplifted, the vent-port 47 is closed, and the exhaust-port 48 opened, and communication being thus established between the bellows 40 and the exhaust-conduit 50 said bellows is collapsed, and by link 38, lever 29, &c., the loud pedal 16 of the piano is automatically depressed.

The pedal 16 may be released and the motor-bellows 4O restored to its normal position by closing said conduit 51, for thereby the pressure above and below the diaphragm 41 is equalized through the bypass duct 52, the

port 48 closed by the valve 45, and the port 47 simultaneously opened, so that the bellows 40 is inflated by atmospheric pressure.

As shown, my invention is so arranged that the automatic operation of the loud pedal 16 by the pneumatic motor above described may be effected either at the will of the operator, who is thereby saved the labor of holding the lever 36, or by the automatic progression of the perforated web 8 without the v0- lition of the operator as follows:

Referring to Figs. IV and VII to X, inclusive, said conduit 51 extends to the slidevalve casing 54, wherein it terminates in the ports 55 and 56, respectively adjoining the ports 57 and 58. All of said ports are normally closed by the slide-valve 60 when it is shifted to a position wherein its recess 61 is intermediate of the ports 55 and 56. Said valve 60 is provided with the rod 64:, whose upper extremity extends adjacent to the upper extremity of the lever 36 and is likewise flattened to be readily fingered by the operator.

The motor-b. llows 40 may be collapsed and the pedal 16 thereby depressed automatically at the will of the operator by shifting said valve 60 until its recess 61 establishes communication between the port 55 and the port 57, which latter opens directly to the outer atmosphere. lVhen, however, it is desired to automatically effect the correct operation of the loud pedal 16 by the mere progression of the perforated web 8, the valve 60 is shifted to the position shown in Figs. IV, VII, and VIII, wherein the recess 61 establishes communication between the port 56 and the port 58. Said port 58 opens into the conduit 67, and the latter terminates in the port 68 in the valve-casing 69. Said port 68 is normally closed by the valve 70, which is mounted to oscillate upon the pin 72 under stress of the spring 73, whose upper extremity is fixed in said casing 69. The free extremity 74 of said valve is provided with the adjustable stud 75, opposed to the arm 79 of the valve-lever 78 in operative relation therewith. As shown in Fig. IV, the arms 79 and 80 of said lever 78 are respectively mounted for oscillation in the fixed bearings 82 and 83 and connected at their free extremities by the felt-covered cross-bar77,which is common to and arranged to be actuated by the vertical arms of the first sixteen of the series of finger-levers 2, counting from the left-hand end of said series, as shown in Fig. IV. The respective finger-levers in said selected group of sixteen correspond with the first sixteen tones of the lower register of the piano or similar instrument which my invention is arranged to play, and it is designed that any chord of tones produced by the automatic progression of the perforated web 8 shall include at least one of the selected group, with the result that the operation of the finger-lever corresponding with the bass tone of any chord shall not only produce that tone by encounter with its corresponding digital 3, but shall also simultaneously oscillate the valve-lever 78, oper ate the valve to open the port 68 to the at mosphere,thereby eifecting the collapse of the pneumatic-motor bellows 40, and through the links and levers connected with the latter depress the loud pedal 16 and maintain it in depressed position until the fingenlever acting on the valve-lever 78 is restored to its normal position by the automatic progression of the Web 8, whereupon the oscillatory valve 70 being returned to its normal closed position by the spring 73 causes the pneumatic-motor bellows 40 to be opened to the atmosphere through the vent-port 47, and thus releases the loud pedal 16. The released parts are uplifted to normal position by the spring of said pedal 16 and the bellows 4O distended by atmospheric pressure.

As above described, the instrument shown comprises three distinct devices, which may be respectivelyemployed to operate the pedal 16 in three ways, as follows: First, said pedal 16 may be depressed by the manual effort of the operator, who shifts and. holds the lever 36. It is to be understood that I do not desire to claim,perse, the lever 36 and the parts connected therewith by which said pedal 16 is thus controlled, as it is usual to provide instruments of this class with such devices. Second, said pedal 16 may be automatically depressed and held without the effort of the operator, who is merely required to shift the valve 60 by rod 64 and finger-piece Third, said pedal 16 is arranged to be automatically controlled without the volition. of the operator and solely by the automatic progression of the web 8, which in the mannerabove described effects the operation of the valve-lever 78 and the parts connected therewith.

The devices by which the last two methods ofoperation are effected are capable of entirely independent operation, as described, and therefore it is to be understood that my invention comprehends an instrument provided with either one of said devices without the other. For instance, the lever 36, valve 70, and valve-lever 78 may be omitted and the operation of the pedal 16 be con trolled solely by the operator manipulating the finger-piece 65. On the other hand, by omitting the lever 36 and finger-piece 65 the operation of the pedal 16 is placed beyond the control of the operator and is solely dependent upon the automatic progressien of the web 8. However, my invention is particularly advantageous in the provision of means to employ an ordinary commercial perforated web and without any alteration or addition to said web to secure therefrom the correct operation of the pedal of the instrument played upon without the attention of the operator, who may be entirely ignorant of the proper operation of said pedal.

Although I have shown my invention embodied in the particular form of instrument known commercially as the pianola', I do not desire to limit myself to such embodiment or to the construction of my invention which is adapted thereto, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made without departing from the essential features of my invention.

I claim- 1. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination with a series of finger-levers arranged to impinge upon the digitals of a piano or similar instrument; of a member adapted to engage the pedal of a piano or similar instrument; means constructed and arranged to automatically effect the operation of said member, contemporaneously with the operation of a selected finger-lever; and means to render said member independent of said finger-lever, at the will of the operator, substantially as set forth.

2. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination with a series of finger-levers arranged to impinge upon the digitals of a piano orsimilarinstrument; ofapneumatic trackerbar; mechanism arranged to operate the respective finger-levers in any sequence predetermined by perforations in a web of paper progressed with respect to said tracker-bar; a member adapted to engage the pedal of a piano orsimilarinstrument; and means operatively connecting said member with a selected fin ger-lever, substantially as set forth.

3. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination with a series of finger-levers arranged to impinge upon the digitals of a piano or similarinstrument; ofapneumatic trackerbar; mechanism arranged to operate the respective finger-levers in any sequence predetermined by perforations in aweb of paper progressed with respect to said tracker-bar; a member adapted to engage the pedal of a piano or similar instrument; a pneumatic motor operatively connected with said member; a pneumatic valve arranged to control said motor; and a valve-lever operatively connected to said valve and to a selected finger-lever, arranged to effect the operation of said member, contemporaneously with the selected finger-lever, substantially as set forth.

4:. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination with a series of finger-levers arranged to impinge upon the digitals of a piano or similar-instrument; ofa-pneumatic trackerbar; mechanism arranged to operate the respective finger-levers in any sequence predetermined by perforations in a web of paper progressed with respect to said tracker-bar; a memberadapted to engage the pedalofapiano or similar instrument; a pneumatic motor operatively connected with said member; a pneumatic valve arranged to control said motor; a valve-lever operatively connected to said valve and to selected finger-lever, arranged to effect the operation of said member contemporaneously with the selected fingerlever; and a pneumatic valve arranged to render the automatic mechanism inoperative at the Will of the operator, substantially as set forth.

5. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination with a series of finger-levers arranged to impinge upon the digitals of a piano or similar instrument; of a member adapted to engage the pedal of a piano or similar instrument; a pneumatic valve arranged to antomatically effect the operation of said member contemporaneously With the operation of a selected finger-lever; and a pneumatic valve arranged to render said automatic mechanism inoperative at the Will of the operator, substantially as set forth.

6. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination With a member arranged to operatively engage the pedal of a piano or similar instrument; of a motor arranged to operate said pedal by said member; a controlling device for said motor; and, means arranged to render said motor independent of said controlling device, substantially as set forth.

7. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination With a member arranged to operatively engage the pedal of a piano or similar instrument; of a pneumatic .motor arranged to operate said pedal by said member; a controlling device for said motor; and, a pneumatic valve arranged to render said motor independent of said controlling device, at the will of the operator, substantially as set forth.

8. In a mechanical musical instrument, the combination with a member arranged to operatively engage the pedal of a piano or similar instrument; of a hand-lever arranged to operate said pedal by said member; a motor arranged to operate said pedal by said member; a controlling device for said motor; and means to render said motor independent of said controlling device, substantially as set forth.

9. In a mechanical musical instrument, the

was

combination with a series of finger-levers arranged to impinge upon the digitals of a piano or similar instrument; of a member arranged to operatively engage the pedal of a piano or similar instrument; a pneumatic motor arranged to hold said pedal in depressed position by said member; a pneumatic valve arranged to control said motor to hold said pedal and to release the same, at the will of the operator; and, means controlled by a selected fingerlever to automatically actuate said valve, substantially as set forth.

10. In amechanical musical instrument,the combination with a series of finger-levers arranged to impinge upon the digitals of a piano or similar instrument; of a member arranged to operatively engage the pedal of a piano or similar instrument; a hand-lever arranged to operate said pedal by said member; a pneumatic motor arranged to operate said pedal by said member; a valve arranged to control said motor; means controlled by a selected finger lever to automatically actuate said valve; and, means whereby said valve maybe manually operated, substantially as set forth.

1]. Inamechanical musicalinstrument,the combination with a series of levers operatively related to the strings of a piano or similar instrument; of a pneumatic tracker-bar; mechanism arranged to operate the respective 1e vers in any sequence predetermined by perforations in a Web of paper progressed with respect to said tracker-bar; a member adapted to engage the pedal of a piano or similar instrument; and, means operatively connecting said member with a selected lover of said series, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 7th day of August, 1901.

PHILIP VVUEST, JR.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR E. PAIGE, MILDRED BARNHART. 

